In a conventional distributing device of this type (German OS No. 34 09 806) there is provided a plate-shaped center unit which is coupled with a vibrating drive. The loose material falls onto this center unit and is from there distributed to several circularly arranged weighing units of a combination scale. The spaces between the vibrating conveyor troughs, which extend radially from the center unit, are covered by means of radial projections, which is supposed to prevent the loose material from falling into the spaces and the goods which moves in one conveyor trough from effecting the goods provided in the adjacent trough and thus an undesired conveying is avoided.
Also known is a distributing device (German OS No. 34 09 388), which has a distributing member, which has alternating radial ribs and valleys. The ribs are supposed to divide agglomerates of the product which is to be conveyed, before they reach outlet openings which lead to the various weighing units located at the periphery of the distributing device.
In both known distributing devices there exists the risk that the loose material falls unevenly onto the conveyor troughs, so that these are at times flooded and at times receive not enough loose material. The product flow depends strongly on the feeding of the loose material to the distributing device. The dosing of partial amounts through weighing containers of the combination scale occurs by supplying the loose material during a certain time span. Because of different conveyor flow rates in the conveyor troughs, it is often difficult to maintain the partial amount with the necessary exactness. Help cannot always be given, not even through a readjustment, since the significantly different flow rates would be adversely effected.
The basic purpose of the invention is to construct a distributing device of the abovementioned type such that the conveyors are supplied evenly with loose material.
The distributing device of the abovementioned type which has been created to attain this purpose is characterized by a distributing container having a base with openings, a conveyor arranged under each opening and device for maintaining constant the fill level in the distributing container.
The outflow of loose material through the openings is maintained constant in a so constructed distributing device, since the same pressure exists at each opening due to the maintaining constant of the fill level. An as much as possible exact filling of the individual partial amount weighing containers is achieved therewith also without readjustment.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, upwardly diverging sliding surfaces follow the edges of the openings. The inclination of the sliding surfaces can be adjusted to the flow characteristics of the respective loose material in order to obtain an as much as possible favorable outflow of the loose material. With the help of the sliding surfaces is achieved an assured sliding of the material to be transported, even without a vibrator drive for the distributing container. Sliding surfaces, which are associated with adjacent openings, join advantageously at a crest. The base of the container is then so to speak formed by several such surfaces. The openings increase preferably in flow direction of the loose material, which further improves the even feeding of the conveyors.
The device for maintaining constant the fill level has preferably a scale. Loose material is added when falling below a certain weight. If a pregiven weight is reached, the further feeding of loose material is stopped. The fill level can, however, also be maintained constant in a different manner, in particular by an optical scanning of the surface of the loose material in the distributing container and regulating the supply corresponding with the result of the scanning.
The distributing device can have both a circular distributing container and also a rectilinear distributing container, which for example, viewed in the top view, is constructed rectangularly. The openings can be of a different size, so that conveyors with different performance can be supplied.